Parental Wisdom
by justanotherKurtsie
Summary: This explores the Hummel-Berry and Hudson-Hummel family relationships.  Currently rated T for discussion of bullying/sexual assault.  Chapter 7: Never Been Kissed part 3, Blaine  background Wes
1. Grilled Cheesus

Chapter 1: Grilled Cheesus

**A/N: This started out as a little two-scene, "Get Happy Drabble." I saw the scene in Duets where Rachel offers to perform a duet with Kurt, and wondered what clued her into his loneliness. I realized / decided that her Dads were the most likely candidates.**

**As I "completed" the other serial stories, I wanted to come back to that Hummelberry friendship. Rachel had two diva sleepovers onscreen, one in Season 2 (Silly Love Songs) and one in Season 3. I think the odds are good that Kurt DOES know Rachel's dads by Season 3.**

**This story starts in Season 2 (Grilled Cheesus) with an expansion of my Get Happy Drabble. Chapter 2 will expand the Duets scene from my drabble. This story will continue with episodes through Season 2 and Season 3. I reserve the right to skip episodes.**

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><p>As LeRoy approached his front door, he could hear his daughter singing at the piano in their living room. As he opened the door, the words became clear: "Papa, can you hear me? Papa, are you listening?..." and he recognized the song.<p>

Rachel ignored her dad for the moment, concentrating on the song in front of her at their white baby grand piano. She had to do something for Kurt's dad, and this song seemed to fit.

LeRoy knew better than to interrupt a song in progress. He put his jacket and briefcase away, and took his lunch gear to the kitchen. While he was there, he filled a glass of water. Such a sad song would surely make his daughter thirsty. He brought the glass back to the piano.

Rachel didn't look up at her dad until she had finished the song. Then she looked up, smiled, stood up and hugged LeRoy "Hi Dad!"

"Hi Rachel!" LeRoy offered her the glass. Rachel thanked him, but did not let go of the hug. Instead, she turned sideways so she could drink the water while maintaining contact. "Are you all right, sweetie?"

Rachel nodded slowly, and lowered the glass. "Kurt's dad is in the hospital, after a heart attack. He's in a coma, we don't know when… or if… he'll wake up. I'm so worried," she explained. "I just want to do something for him, and I thought this might work."

"Yentl is a good source. I like that song choice. Do you want me to play while you rehearse?"

"Could you please? I'm planning to sing it a capella, but I'm not quite there yet. Maybe one run with piano, then without?"

"I can do that." They were still practicing at the piano when Hiram got home. As he opened the door, Hiram turned to wave farewell to his carpool.

Rachel was standing beside the piano. She nodded to LeRoy, signaling she was ready for a break, and they came around the piano to greet Hiram with hugs and kisses.

"What's all this?" Hiram asked, as Rachel pulled them both into a three-way hug."

"I just love you, Dads." Rachel answered, not letting go.

LeRoy explained, "She's worried about Kurt's dad, he's in a coma at the hospital." Then he turned to reassure Rachel, "Honey, we're both fit as a fiddle. You don't need to worry about us. Now, how about we turn this mood around?" He returned to the piano to play something a little more cheerful.


	2. Duets

Duets

**A/N This is an expansion of my second scene from "Get Happy Drabble." This chapter has missing scenes from Season 2, Duets. I'm sorry this is a little rough.**

"So, what's next in Glee?" Hiram Berry asked his daughter.

"Well, let's see. Puck is in Juvie. We have a new member, Sam. This week we're performing duets. Finn and I are performing together, we're thinking of doing 'Don't Go Breaking my Heart,' it'll be quite good."

"That sounds wonderful," LeRoy answered. "Are you getting enough practice time?"

"We… I was wondering if Finn could come over on Wednesday, so we can work on it."

"Of course. He can join us for dinner, and then you can practice."

"Thanks, Dads!"

"Mom, do you have a minute?" Finn asked, while Carole was folding laundry.

"Sure, what is it?" Carole answered, continuing her work.

"Well… do you remember last year, when we Mr. Hummel threw me out of the house?" Finn looked down and shuffled his feet, embarrassed at the memory.

"Yes." Carole dropped the shirt she was folding and looked at her son, listening for what he would say next."

"Well… last year… Kurt had a really bad crush on me. He just wouldn't back off, and I didn't know what to do." Finn tried to explain.

Carole looked startled, this was news to her. "What'd he do?"

"Gave Rachel a bad makeover… wanted to sing a ballad to me… it's not important anymore."

"I'm listening."

"What matters today… there's this new kid at school, Sam. I got him to join Glee Club. We're doing duets this week, and Kurt has asked to do a duet with him." Finn paused, considering his words. "I'm worried that Kurt's going to push him too far. He doesn't seem to take no for an answer. We need 12 people to perform, so we need to keep Sam in the club. I don't want Sam pushed out."

"Have you tried talking to Kurt about it?"

"Not yet."

"I think that's your first step." Carole told her son. Tomorrow was her day off, and she'd been planning to check on Burt around lunchtime, anyway.

Burt turned off the tv and sat back in the couch. As usual during the weekday, there was nothing to watch. He was getting quite tired of sitting at home all day, recuperating. It was almost lunchtime, he was just about to see what Kurt had left in the fridge, when the doorbell rang. Carole was there, with a thermos in her hands.

"I brought you some soup for lunch." Carole indicated the thermos.

"Oh, thank you, Carole. That's very nice of you. Do you have time, come on in and we can share lunch." He gestured towards the kitchen table.

"Thank you, I'd like that." Carole stepped inside, and brought the soup to the table. Burt started to get down bowls, but she insisted "I know where they are. You sit and rest."

"I'm tired of sitting and resting. I've been sitting and resting for two weeks now!" Burt had been brave for Kurt, but with Carole he could drop some of his bravado. Carole stopped what she was doing to give Burt a hug.

"Recovery takes time. You need to rest to let your body heal. If you rest now, you'll be better faster. If you overdo it now, you'll backslide and stay sick longer." Carole advised.

"I know, but I hate this weakness, Carole. I really do. I'm a man of action."

"I know, I know. You'll be back on your feet soon, I promise."

"I hope so. For Kurt's sake, if nothing else. He's mothering me."

"That really bothers you." Carole observed.

"He's taken on so much, from the very start. Did you know he baked cookies for Elizabeth, back when she was in the hospital. Barely eight years old, and he was baking. He's grown up too fast. Thank you for looking out for him. He needs a mother figure in his life."

"And you've been the father figure Finn needs. Surely I can return the favor. Speaking of which, Finn and I had a discussion last night."

"Oh?"

"About Kurt. Apparently Kurt had ulterior motives for introducing the two of us."

"Oh really? How so?"  
>"Well, Finn didn't come out and say THAT. But Finn tells me that Kurt had a crush on him last year. A bad one, Kurt was pretty obvious."<p>

"That does paint a different picture. What brings it up now? I haven't seen Kurt act like that towards Finn around me."

"It sounds like Kurt finally backed off, and they're doing better now. But has Kurt told you about Sam, the new boy in Glee Club?"  
>"No, he hasn't told me yet."<p>

"Finn says that Kurt asked Sam to duet with him. Finn's afraid that Kurt will do the same thing to Sam. Make advances until Sam drops Glee."

"Oh. I can see where that might make Sam uncomfortable. I'll talk to Kurt."

That evening, when Kurt brought him his vegan carrot soup, Burt took the opportunity to ask Kurt how school was going. The conversation left Burt with more to ponder.

On Wednesday, Burt still couldn't get Kurt's words out of his head. "_Dad, you have no idea what it's like. I am the only openly gay kid at school, in this town. Why can't I walk hand-in-hand down the hall with a person that I like? Why can't I slow dance at my prom?"_

His son. The only openly gay kid in town. "_Dad, you have no idea what it's like._" Well, that was true enough. He isn't gay, and he certainly wasn't the only kid out in Lima. When he was a high school jock, the out kid had been Hiram Berry. Maybe Burt didn't know what it was like, but he could learn to understand. He picked up the telephone.

"Hiram, Burt Hummel here. Listen, I had a talk with Kurt last night, and he mentioned something that's bugging me. I could use a little perspective…"

Thursday afternoon, Rachel opened the door and put her backpack and jacket away. "How was Glee this afternoon?" her LeRoy asked.

"Oh, it was wonderful! Kurt sang Le Jazz Hot, it was amazing!" Rachel answered.

"Wait, I thought you were doing Duets this week? Wasn't that why you and Finn were practicing together last night?" Hiram spoke up.

"Oh, Kurt did this on his own, he sang both parts. He was going to partner with Sam, but Finn talked him out of it."

"Why would Finn do that?" Hiram asked.

"Well…" Rachel hesitated. "We need Sam to stay in Glee, so we can win Nationals. If he sings a duet with Kurt, the whole school will turn on them."

Hiram and LeRoy looked at each other. "Because they'll think he's gay?" Rachel nodded slowly. Hiram continued, "And the jocks would bully Sam for being gay?" Rachel nodded. LeRoy and Hiram sat down next to her.

"Rachel, how many gay kids are out at McKinley?" LeRoy asked.

"Just Kurt."

Hiram asked "Do the jocks bully Kurt?"

"I… I don't know. I've never noticed." Rachel shifted in her seat.

LeRoy picked up on that. "Did we ever tell you about how we got together?"

"You told me about that play." Rachel answered.

LeRoy followed up, "Yes. We were in our late 20's, early 30's. I didn't come out to my family until I was in college."

"I knew earlier." Hiram followed up. "My family knew. I tried not saying anything at school, tried having a girlfriend, but it never worked out."

Rachel looked thoughtful. "Did you ever date in high school?" Both of her dad's shook their heads.

"No, we didn't have any boyfriends in high school." Hiram answered, then looked away, at a corner. LeRoy steadily watched Rachel.

. "How is Kurt's father doing now?" LeRoy tried a different approach "Is he recovering from his heart attack?"

"He's better. Kurt's taking care of him at home now." Rachel answered.

"Kurt's taking care of him." LeRoy repeated. Rachel looked at him. "How do you think Kurt's feeling right now?"

Rachel thought about it. "Sad. Scared. Lonely."

"And Glee left him to sing a solo? Instead of a duet?" Hiram followed up.

Rachel squirmed a little. She had noticed, and it had worried her.

Rachel thought some more. "I could sing a duet with him. I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"That's our girl."

**A/N. Hope you like. In the drabble, I had cut out the part discussing how old the Berry's were when they met. But I think I remember something like this becoming canon in Heart of On My Way, so I put it back in. Please review!**


	3. Rocky Horror Glee Show

Rocky Horror Glee Show

**A/N This is the first completely new chapter. I've been re-watching Season 2 episodes for details to incorporate into chapters, but this one feels awfully short.**

**As stated in the beginning, I reserve the right to skip episodes. While "Never Been Kissed" is the next episode in Season 2, I may jump ahead to "Furt," when Burt is hit by the clue-by-four.**

**Much depends on how well I feel I can write the Barole romance. I've titled the fic "Parental Wisdom," intending the focus to be on how the adults influence the kid's actions, rather than purely on the relationships between the adults.**

**I haven't said this before, but kudos to my husband for reading through and commenting before I post.**

**I don't own Glee.**

Finn:

"Hey, Mom?"

Carole looked up from the dishes she was washing.

"Mr. Schuester wants your permission for me to be in a play." Finn shifted nervously, wondering why Mr. Schuester suddenly wanted their parent's permission for this musical. "It's Rocky Horror. So, would you mind signing it?"

Carole looked over the form, smiling slightly as she remembered going to a midnight showing of RHPS with Christopher, while she was still in high school. They didn't go often, but they enjoyed themselves. Christopher had memorized most of the audience participation lines. "What part do you have?" she asked as she looked for a pen.  
>"I'll be playing Brad. Mr. Schue says he's adapting the script."<p>

"Is Rachel playing Janet?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, that's good. Who's playing Frank-N-Furter?"

"Uh, Mike said he was willing to. Mr. Schue asked Kurt, but Kurt refused. So Mike volunteered."

"Mike? The dancer on the football team? Quiet guy?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"Okay." Carole signed the slip. "Here you go."

Kurt:

Kurt entered the office of Hummel Tire and Lube, where his father was easing his way back to work, starting in the office. "Dad?"

Burt looked up. "Hey Kurt, how's it going?"

"We're doing a musical at school. Mr. Schuester wants our parents to sign permission slips." Kurt did a little hop, and clapped his hands together as he said "We're going to do Rocky Horror!"

Burt remembered how many times Kurt had gone to see the movie with his friend Tina this past year, since he'd gotten his driver's license. They'd even gone together once or twice before Kurt could drive. It wasn't exactly Burt's cup of tea, so to speak, but Kurt had fun with it. "What role are you playing with this?"

"I'll be Riff-Raff, Dad. It's a good part, some fun acting, nothing uncomfortable there."

"Riff-Raff? Yeah, I'll sign for that." As Burt's hand moved over the paper, he commented, "I'm surprised you didn't get Frank-N-Furter."

Kurt grimaced slightly. "Dad! Mr. Schue asked, but NO. I don't want that role."

"Okay," Burt backed off. "Do I need to talk to Mr. Schuester again?" he asked, looking a little closer at Kurt.

"No Dad, I got it covered."

"Okay. You have fun kid."

"Thanks, Dad."

Rachel:

Rachel burst into the house, all excited, "Dads! We're doing Rocky Horror! I get to play Janet!"

Hiram looked at LeRoy, full of meaning. "The school's going to allow this?"

"Well, Mr. Schue says he's going to edit the script, to make it more age-appropriate."

LeRoy asked, "Who's playing Brad? And Frank-N-Furter?"

Rachel twisted her hips slightly as she said, "Finn is playing Brad, and Mike volunteered to play Frank-N-Furter."

Hiram asked, "Do we know Mike?"

"You've seen him at our performances. He's an excellent dancer, but not much of a singer."

Hiram pulled out a pen, but LeRoy pulled the paper away from him, teasing "You think you're signing for this? It's my turn." LeRoy signed the slip.

**A/N. Hope you like. Please review! If you have something you particularly want to see, let me know and I'll consider it.**


	4. Kissed

**A/N: This chapter is a little different from the earlier ones. It takes place *approximately* the time period of Never Been Kissed, perhaps a little before or a little after. This chapter is all Burt & Carole, without referencing NBK canon. Spoilers for "Grilled Cheesus," "Duets," and "Furt."**

**I don't own Burt, Carole or Styx, "Show Me The Way." The version discussed can be heard here: www [dot] youtube [dot] com/watch?v=rL9y9CcnEJQ and, for this chapter, is required viewing for anyone born since ~1985.**

It happened so quickly, they hadn't expected it.

Burt had picked Carole up early Tuesday morning, to take her in to work. They had been discussing his health, Kurt's impact on his diet, his participation in the Lima General Hospital heart patient group exercise. Currently, he was still with the Walkers, but soon he should be able to start with the Runners group. Burt was determined to get in good shape, and Carole was relieved to know it.

The conversation paused, and Burt began flipping through radio channels, looking for something to listen to. "Stop." Carole said, body frozen in place as Burt reached to skip a rock ballad.

"…_Take me tonight to the river_

_And wash my illusions away…"_

the radio played.

"Oh, God." Were her next words.

"_As I slowly drift t o sleep, for a moment dreams are sacred…"_

Burt reached a Stop sign and looked over. Carole's face was a mask, eyes full of memories and shining with unshed tears. He reached again towards the Skip button on the radio, eyes on Carole, but she shook her head slightly. So he drove to the next parking lot, as a tear began to roll down her face.

Burt parked the car and held out a hand to Carole, rubbing the back with his thumb, as they waited for the song to finish. Then he shut off the radio and unbuckled his seat belt. He turned toward her for an awkward hug. But then Carole unbuckled as well, allowing Burt to just hold her. He stroked her hair.

Burt tried to remember if he'd heard that song before. It seemed like it had been a long time. Not his usual music, nor something Kurt would play. When Carole's breath evened out again, he asked "What is it?"

"The song came out during the first Iraq war." Burt nodded at the memory. "They made a mix, with voices, and played it all the time. My heart would break every time that little girl said 'I want my Daddy to come home.'"

Burt's eyes widened in understanding. "It reminds you of Christopher?" Carole nodded her head, then picked up her purse, searching for a pack of tissues. They had spoken of their deceased spouses several times before, words pouring out. Sometimes with laughter, and other times tears. Sometimes they just held each other in empathy. Burt waited to see what Carole needed now.

This time, she composed herself quickly, wiping her eyes. "It's all right, I'll be fine." Burt could hear the truth in her voice. He was here now, and she was really okay. He hadn't felt like this, understood a woman so well, since Elizabeth.

Now Burt froze for a split second, mind racing furiously. Carole had filled the emptiness Elizabeth left behind. Not the same, not at all… and yet both women felt like home. He made a mental not to come back to that another day.

Seeing that Carole had freshened up, he asked "Ready to go on?"

"Yes, let's go."

**A/N I hope you liked. Please review!**


	5. Never Been Kissed, pt 1

**A/N Sorry this is late, I usually try to post on the weekend. This was a hard chapter to write. I'm not convinced it's complete yet. There might be a part 2, or I might write the coda in with "The Substitute."**

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><p>"How's Glee Club going?" Burt asked over dinner on Tuesday.<p>

"All right. We found out who we're competing against for sectionals."

"Yeah?"

"There's a Warren Township GED group, and the Dalton Academy Warblers."

"Are they any good?"

"Not sure. Dalton's a private boy's school. We haven't seen them perform yet." Kurt paused for a moment, to consider his phrasing. "Puck suggested that I go visit, see what they're like. Would you write a note excusing me from school for a few days?"

"Well… let's talk about this. How's your homework coming?"

"It's good. I can give Mercedes my assignments to turn in for tomorrow. Tomorrow's Wednesday, they never assign much homework on Wednesday's. It's 'church night.'" Kurt's hands marked the quotes around that phrase. It had been that way his entire life, but since he didn't go to church at all, let alone on Wednesday nights, it had never really made sense.

"Okay, that covers Wednesday. But you said a few days, so what about Thursday?"

"I can get my assignments from Mercedes, and have them to turn in on Friday."

Burt nodded thoughtfully. Kurt's grades were excellent, and he was rarely sick. "You'll be back at McKinley on Friday?"

"Yes."

Kurt wasn't the type to skip class for the heck of it. "Why you?"

"Dalton's a boy's school, that eliminates the girls. You know Finn and Puck, they can't afford to miss school, they need all the help they can get. Artie would stand out too much."

"What about that new kid, Sam? Or Mike?"

"Mike's father would never approve. I don't know Sam, but he just joined – he wouldn't know what to look for."

"Well. Okay, I'll write a note. You be safe driving to Westerville."

"I will. Thanks, Dad."

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><p>Wednesday night, Kurt's eyes were shining as he talked about the Warblers and Dalton. "They have a marble staircase! Artwork and murals in the hallways! The Warblers sing a capella! Their lead singer is gorgeous!..."<p>

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><p>Thursday night, Kurt's enthusiasm was tempered by something Burt couldn't quite define.<p>

"I got caught. They knew I didn't belong there. But they were really nice about it – they bought me coffee. You remember I talked about their lead singer? He's really nice."

"You've got your homework done? And you'll be back at McKinley tomorrow?"

"Yes, Dad." Kurt's stomach ached, just thinking of going back. Of the locker slams, Karovsky. He couldn't eat his dinner, he just stirred it around on the plate. "How are things going with Carole?"

Burt's eyes lit up, and he started talking, in broad general terms, about his dates, their carpool trips. Kurt's distraction worked, Burt didn't ask any more about McKinley.

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><p>Kurt stood, frozen against the locker room locker, hand pressed to his lips. <em>'He's gay. Karovsky's gay. Karovsky… Oh my God. He kissed me. Yuck! He *kissed* me!' <em> Kurt ran to the water fountain inside the locker room, where he rinsed and spat, rinsed and spat, rinsed and spat, trying to get the taste, the feel out of his mouth. Last year when he had asked Brittney what boys tasted like, he had never imagined he'd be tasting… Karovsky. He never wanted to taste that again.

The locker room door opened. Kurt whirled around, starting to panic again. He had succeeded in pushing Karovsky away the second time, but if he came back… A shock of blonde hair- blonde! Not Karovsky. Not Karovsky. Sam.

"Kurt! What are you doing in here? We're getting together to work on our Glee number. Come on, we've got some dancing to practice."

Kurt stumbled along behind Sam. Somehow he remembered to retrieve his phone and messenger bag.

He stumbled through a short Glee rehearsal, too. The football players all had a game that evening, so they couldn't practice late. He pushed everything else out of his mind to focus on the rehearsal.

It was only when he made it into his car, when he was alone again, that he found himself shaking, sobbing. He knew he couldn't drive home yet. He still didn't want to worry his father… who could he talk to about this? Nobody at school… they wouldn't believe him… and even if they did, they'd ask too many questions. They'd want to know who did it.

'Courage.' The text said. Blaine wasn't at school, Blaine wouldn't know Karovsky. He could call Blaine.

Talking with Blaine calmed him enough to drive home. They made plans to met up on Saturday, in Westerville, to talk some more.

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><p>Burt stopped by the jewelry store on Friday, to take a look at their selection. He wasn't ready to buy a ring <span>quite<span> yet, but he wanted to get an idea of what was available, and at what price. He was starting to get the idea what he'd want.

He knew it was Friday dinner, but his mind was on the rings, and planning his proposal to Carole. Burt didn't notice that Kurt was just pushing the food around on his plate.

"I'm going to Westerville again tomorrow."

"On a Saturday?"

"Yeah, I'm meeting one of the Warblers to walk the Mall together, talk about music and stuff."

"Okay. You know your curfew, drive safe."

"Thanks, Dad."

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><p><strong>AN Please review. **


	6. Never Been Kissed, pt 2

**A/N All right, I did write a part 2. The storyline is pretty intense, I had to take a break from it. This picks up later that evening, after dinner. Trigger warnings are essentially the same as for the Never Been Kissed episode.**

**If you want to read last week's chapter, it's a one-shot called Friday Night Euchre. Actually, on that story, feel free to stop after the first author's note. I think the note brings up important ideas for Glee fanfiction writers. But in that story, I managed to bore myself – and I'm the one who wrote it!**

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><p>After dinner on Friday, Kurt went downstairs to his basement room. He pulled out his homework, thinking he might get some of that done, but he simple could not focus. He tried to write his French paper, and found that after ten minutes he had barely written one sentence. He tried Chemistry, but his brain would not translate the problem into a chemical equation. Algebra II, he stared at the problem for five minutes without getting anywhere. He didn't try home economics, he knew that as spacey as he was this evening, he was sure to ruin whatever sewing project he pulled out. He had the same trouble with Spanish that he had with French, he barely managed a sentence of his essay.<p>

Kurt started to feel tired, so he turned out the lights, but his muscles refused to relax. He ran through one of his yoga relaxation routines, tensing and relaxing each set of muscles in turn, and finally sleep came.

He woke from a nightmare a few hours later, a dream of rough hands and harsh lips that he kept pushing away and pushing away. He found himself grateful that his father's room was upstairs and away, so he hadn't woken his Dad. His father needed his rest. Kurt went and brushed his teeth five more times, and rinsed with mouthwash, then tried to focus on Blaine's text message: "Courage."

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><p>His alarm went off at 7 am, and he still felt groggy. It had been a fitful night of nightmares, waking and sleeping. In a foggy haze, he turned the alarm off. An hour later, his father came downstairs.<p>

"Kurt, are you all right?" Burt asked. "I made some toast. I thought you were meeting Blaine this afternoon. It's 8 am."

Kurt sat up with a start, confirmed the time on his clock, "Oh my God!" and jumped out of bed.

"I know how long it takes you to get ready in the morning, and then you have the drive to Westerville…"

Kurt's morning skincare routine calmed him slightly, and he looked up at his father, "Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome. I'm going over to the shop to do some paperwork. Will you be home in time for dinner?"

"Yes, I think so. I'll call you if plans change."

Burt nodded, and went upstairs. It was unusual for Kurt to oversleep, but Burt didn't dwell on it this morning. His mind had moved on to other things. He did indeed plan to go over to the shop and do paperwork for an hour or two, but then he planned to visit a few more jewelry stores. The evening before, he had flipped through the jewelry catalog, remembering the rings he had seen, and what he knew of Carole. He had a much better idea this morning, what sort of ring would suit Carole. He had also reviewed his finances. There was enough for a nice ring, a good simple wedding, and a fancy honeymoon. He planned to do more shopping for the ring today.

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><p>Kurt met Blaine at the Westerville Mall, where they had lunch before shopping. Blaine listened as Kurt told more of what had happened with Karofsky on Friday.<p>

"Tell you what," Blaine said when Kurt had finished. "I'll meet you at McKinley on Monday, and we can talk with Karofsky together."

"Are you sure? I mean, he's a big football player."

Blaine thought about some of the biggest guys he had boxed at Dalton over the last year, nearly two. It had taken some time and practice, but now he had the idea how to handle bigger guys. Of course, he wouldn't know just which tricks and strategies to use until he had observed Karofsky himself, but he felt reasonably confident that he could get himself and Kurt out of a situation. Besides, they would be at the high school. While Kurt had indicated that the teachers of McKinley turned a blind eye to locker shoves and slushies, they did tend to break up big fights.

Anyway, the plan was just to talk. Blaine didn't plan to fight, he just wanted to be prepared.

"Yes, I'm sure. We've got this."

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><p>Burt knew what he was looking for in the ring, but he was having a hard time finding it, he might have to order it. He also hadn't figured out Carole's ring size yet. He'd need to work on that.<p>

Saturday evening, after he got back from Westerville, Kurt was finally able to get started on his homework. As long as the daylight lasted, he felt fine and could concentrate. As the sun set and it got closer to sleep time, he began to fear he would have more nightmares. He booted up his laptop and checked his Facebook page, read the status updates from his Glee friends. Accepted the Friend request from Blaine Anderson… who, unfortunately, was not online to chat. Browsed articles from Teen Vogue and GLAAD. His Britney Spears page was up to about 35 "Likes" now, he called that progress.

Kurt checked his Twitter page, and found a few more posts to ReTweet, but he didn't really feel like saying anything this time. He started browsing gourmet recipes for ideas.

The next thing Kurt knew, the laptop said midnight and his eyes were quite heavy. He still didn't **want** to sleep, but he knew he needed to. He turned off the laptop and started his skincare routine. He was so exhausted, he fell immediately into a deep sleep.

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><p>Sunday morning was the day for sleeping in at the Hummel household. Burt's shop wasn't open, and they had nowhere they needed to go. They sat down together for brunch.<p>

"You got plans today?" Burt asked.

"I'm going over to Mercedes' to hang out this afternoon."

"Sounds good. Carole and I have a date, so you are on your own for dinner."

"Okay. Have fun, Dad."

Carole had really enjoyed the movie, they discussed it over dinner. Then they talked about the kids. Finally, Burt felt ready to ask a probing question of his own. Tentatively, "Do you think Finn might be ready to move in with us again?"

"Well," Carole pondered, "Do you think Kurt is over his crush?"  
>"That's a good question. He was interested in Sam a few weeks ago, and yesterday he met with a new friend in Westerville…"<p>

Carole smiled, "Oh, Good. Kurt's a good kid, he deserves to be happy, have friends, maybe even a boyfriend."

Burt froze for a second, hearing that. He knew Kurt was lonely, and needed friends in his life. A boyfriend… he had told Kurt he wanted those things for him. To walk hand in hand down the school, to slow dance at prom. And he did. A boyfriend… that would take a boyfriend. It would have to be a special boy to date his Kurt. What had he told Kurt? One as open and brave as Kurt? Burt slowly nodded his head.

"I think Kurt and Finn are such different boys, they really need their own space." Carole continued.

Burt nodded. "That's fair. We'd have to get a bigger house…"

Carole looked at him, _really_ looked at Burt. "Well, we could sell both of our houses, and buy something bigger? That will take some time."

Burt smiled, and held her hand. "It's not a decision we need to make today. We have time." _But soon, so soon. I need to buy a ring_. He tried to estimate the size, but decided he could make that opportunity happen next Tuesday.

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><p><strong>AN Wow, sticking with Canon can be hard. My first write-up would have had Burt propose right here, and he's gotta wait about 2-4 weeks still. Reviews appreciated. **


	7. NBK, pt 3: Blaine

**Chapter 7: Blaine**

**A/N And Part 3. Because Blaine wanted to have a say. I'm leaving his parents out of this fic for now, so the wisdom today comes from Wes. I am somewhat modeling Wes' character on Lookninjas fic, "A Thousand Paper Cranes, " available here:**

lookninjas [dot] livejournal [dot]

**And apparently I'm going to extrapolate a backstory for Blaine for this fic.**

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><p>Saturday, when Blaine made it home from the Westerville Mall and his lunch with Kurt, he knew exactly what he needed to do. He headed up to his room to change into workout clothes, grabbed his boxing gloves, and headed out to the punching bag in the garage. He needed to do <span>something<span> to loosen up the knots that were forming in his back, and boxing had done the trick before. He might not have a face, yet, to picture on the bag, but he could mentally write Karofsky across it. For now.

As he worked through his drills, Blaine's thoughts clarified. He had expected many things from Kurt's confrontation with the Neanderthal bully, but for the bully to assault Kurt with his lips? That was unexpected. Kurt had sounded so shaken up in Friday's panicked phone call, and at the mall it looked as though Kurt had barely slept the night before.

Blaine feared that his advice had made Kurt's situation so much worse. _How could I have been so stupid? What was I thinking, telling him to stand up to bullies like that? I don't know what I'm doing, I'm such an idiot…_

As the negative self-talk spiraled down, Blaine punched the bag harder and harder, succumbing to his fury until he was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and soaked in sweat. He went upstairs to take a shower, not crying until the water could carry the tears away.

It wasn't until he got back to his bedroom, that he remembered what Wes had said, the first time Blaine had gone down this spiral at Dalton, last year.

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><p><em>The Sadie Hawkins dance had been at his first high school, in November of his first freshman year. The beating he had taken kept him out of school the rest of the calendar year. His father had tried sending him back in the spring, but he got stomachaches and headaches just thinking of being back in that place. When he was at school, he couldn't concentrate on any classes, and his grades plummeted. By the end of the third quarter, it was obvious that he couldn't stay at the public school. His mother pulled him out to homeschool the rest of the year, while they worked to enroll him at Dalton. To enroll at Dalton, Blaine had to take their academic placement tests, and was ashamed to discover that he would have to repeat his freshman year.<em>

It was the beginning of Blaine's first year at Dalton, his second Freshman year. As a member of the Warblers, Blaine was given the list of names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses for all the other Warblers, especially the Council Members. Blaine had carefully tucked the list into his music folder, and promptly forgotten about it. _None of the Warblers would want to hear from him, right? Well, maybe he'd use it if he was going to be late for practice, or needed a ride. Then he'd know who to call._

Just a few months later, the academic pace was starting to get to him. He had two papers due, and had blown a Warbler solo audition. The next free period, he slipped to the Dalton gym for boxing practice. Another Warbler must have seen him, because by the time he'd finished boxing and become aware of his surroundings again, Wes was there.

Blaine didn't let people in easily, but school was a "safe" subject to talk about, unlike his family. When Wes asked what was going on, Blaine poured out his worries about school.

Wes had listened attentively, only replying when necessary. He had good insights into the teachers, and even the Warbler council. And Wes punched his number into Blaine's phone, with instructions to call him anytime day or night, when Blaine needed to talk again. "We're Warblers together. We look out for each other… which means we are ALL here for you, Blaine. Trust us."

It took a lot of time, but by the end of the school year Blaine had opened up considerably, had started to trust again. Blaine had called Wes three or four times that year, and Wes had always thanked him for calling. Surely Wes would have ideas on how to handle this.

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><p>Wes listened actively, as Blaine spelled out the situation. He didn't need names, specifically asked Blaine not to name them once he knew the general nature of the call. He reassured Blaine that it was NOT all his fault. That the advice to confront the bully was not all bad… it just would have been better with witnesses. It wasn't all Blaine's fault, nor Kurt's, and surely the bully bore most of the blame.<p>

The good news was, now Kurt (and Blaine) knew what was going on, why the bully had been harassing Kurt. Wes didn't have a lot of experience with the issues of coming out, so he couldn't give a lot of advice on that. But he reminded Blaine to think of his own experiences, and possibly even Kurt's, for empathy.

"And Blaine? This is not fight club. Talk to him if he'll listen. But don't be afraid to walk away."

Blaine drove over to McKinley on Monday morning, skipping school for the day. The conversation with Karofsky did not go well, but Blaine remembered Wes' words, and kept his cool. Karofsky's problems were not Blaine's.

He took Kurt to Breadstix for lunch, and Kurt actually ate a slice of cheesecake this time, as they talked about each other, and made plans to hang out more.

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><p><strong>AN I think I'm finally done with "Never Been Kissed." And to think I'd considered skipping the episode entirely… Reviews appreciated.**


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